Sack Babies
by insomniatic-titans
Summary: What happens with the kids in Ms. Mendeleiev's class are forced to work in pairs and take care of a sack baby for the week? Most likely the fluffiest thing I've ever written.
1. Don't Drop It!

"Are you ready for Life Science, Marinette? I hear that this year our assignment's going to be awful."

"It couldn't be as bad as our last assignment, Alya. Remember all those... pictures ."

"Don't remind me, please. God, I thought I was scarred for life when I saw my siblings being born, but that lesson was the worst!"

It was around that time of year when all the students in their grade had to learn life sciences, or specifically, human relations and sexual reproduction. Overall, it was the one class that everyone was afraid of attending.

After everyone sat down in their assigned seats, Ms. Mendeleiev reached under the desk, picked up a bag of flour, and sat it on the counter.

"You learned about sexual reproduction," She started, waiting for them all to cringe at the memory before continuing, "so now I find it only logical to teach you all what it is like to raise and take care of a child."

Immediately, everyone knew what she meant.

"Two students will be paired up together for one week and take care of a child together. These pairs will be chosen at random by the father. Now, the first to choose will be...Nino."

As the teacher took out a small bag with names on small strips of paper inside of it, the boy stood from his seat and approached it. Being the first to choose was either a good thing or a bad thing.

"The mother of your daughter for the remainder of the week is...Alya."

He could have sworn he heard the girl mumble "Oh God…" under her breath, but instead of worrying, flashed her a smile and sat back down with his sack.

Up next was Ivan who looked positively frightened at the thought of being paired with most the girls in his class. However, for some odd stroke of luck, he ended up picking Mylène.

"Here is your….son, Ivan. Be careful with it."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am."

As the list of girls got smaller, Kim was called on next and Alix could only hope that she wouldn't be stuck with him and a sack of wheat for a whole week. The skater couldn't have been more crushed when he turned around and winked at her.

"Take your son and sit, Kim. Because we all know you and Alix are not particularly...the safest of people, I advise you not to do any 'dares' for the remainder of this assignment. Do you understand?"

"I swear! This sack of flour is gonna be the coole-I mean, the safest kid ever."

Well, I'm getting insuffisant on this assignment… , Alix thought, awaiting her father's scorn.

"Max, come choose."

As the nerdy teen got up from his seat, he feared for his choices. Who was there left that was nice to him? Maybe Marinette…

"Your partner for this project is...Sabrina. Knowing both of your grades, I expect you to do exceedingly well on this. Here is your daughter, Max."

"Thank you, Ms."

"Don't drop it or you fail. Next! Nathanaël!"

Walking slowly down the steps to the desk, it was obvious that the redhead was going to make either the best or worst choice of his entire school life. It was like cutting either the red or blue wire.

The only girls left were Marinette, Juleka, Rose, and... her .

"Nathanaël, the whole class will not stop because you decide to leave Earth for a minute. Either pick a name or I will pi-"

"C-Coming!" He rushed, almost tripping over his own feet, "I can choose, Ms. Mendeleiev."

Reaching into the bag with his other fingers crossed, he hoped that it wasn't them. He'd surely die and most definitely fail if it was.

"Your assigned partner for the week is Chloé. Take your son and sit."

Before he could even move to his chair, the blonde's hand shot up in the air like a rocket.

"Um, excuse me. Ms. Mendeleiev? Is there the option to pick again? There must have been some sort of mista-"

"There are no mistakes in the conception of a child unless you are reckless. Do we need to review last week's lesson on repro-"

"No! I mean, uh, no, Ma'am."

"Good. Adrien Agreste, choose a slip of paper from the bag," She ordered, mixing up a few names as the model stood up.

Please be me, please be me, please be me, Marinette kept repeating in her head. There was only two other girls and if there was one time where her Ladybug luck had to kick in, it would be now.

"Your partner for the week is Marinette. Take your daughter and sit," She directed, handing the boy a sack, leaving one left on the counter, "I guess I miscalculated. Seeing as how there are no more boys in the classroom, the last pair will be Juleka and Rose. You two have no problem with this, correct?"

Both girls shook their heads happily, eager to be working together. Juleka wondered if somewhere out there, someone heard her prayers and answered them.

"Now that everyone has a partner, I will give you a sheet of requirements for this project," Ms. Mendeleiev instructed as she picked up sheets and handed them out to the girl of each pair, well, excluding Juleka and Rose who both received one.

"Each day, one of you will fill out this chart telling me where the child was, what they were doing with you, who was taking care of them, and for how long. You will have points deducted for any forms of abuse, those being emotional, physical, and simple neglection. You are allowed to dress up your sack, but be careful. Once again, breaking the sack results in an immediate insuffisant. Make an effort to bond with your partner after school for an hour."

And with that explanation, the bell rung and each of the pairs met up when the day was over.


	2. Names

He found her sitting on a bench by the Seine river. Nino remembered them meeting there a while back, about a day before she turned into Lady Wifi. The Ladybug fanatic wanted someone to talk to about her theories and he was the closest.

"Nino? Did you bring it with you?"

"Don't worry, Alya. Little Nino Jr. is riiiight here!"

"Nino Jr…?" She asked skeptically, "You do remember that she's a girl, right?"

Sighing, he carefully picked it up, sat next to her, and set the sack in the middle of them, "I guess I can go halfway and call them Nina Jr."

"Hold on, wouldn't the Jr. part make no sense th-Are you putting earphones on her!?"

"Relax, Alya. Little Nina _loves_ music just like her Papa. Isn't that right, Nina?"

 _Why is he doting on it so much? It's a sack of flour..._ She wondered, pushing on his forehead with her index finger.

"You know it doesn't inherit anything from you, right? It's a sack o-"

Shushing her by putting a finger to her lips, he turned to their 'daughter', "Shh, don't let her know she's adopted!"

"Oh my God…"

 _Location: Bench near Seine  
_ _Activity: Listening to music  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: One hour_

* * *

It was never hard for people to spot Ivan around school due to his height, but it was like a game to try and find his short partner who happened to be the one person he needed to meet.

With the sack slung over his shoulder, the tall boy called out for her at the front of the building, "Mylène? Mylène, are you here?"

"D-Down here!"

Finally seeing her stand meekly at the bottom of the staircase, he hurried down, almost losing his grip.

"Be careful, Ivan!"

"S-Sorry, Mylène. Here, I'll let you hold...him?"

Getting on her tippy-toes, the girl reached up, "Alright then, I'm ready to take them."

Handing her the sack was a lot harder than anticipated, so Ivan decided to bend down and place it in her arms. It was surprising to see her hold it like an actual mother would a child.

"So, I guess we should name it, Ivan. Do you want to name them?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

 _She's so adorable…_

"We could call him Buttons."

"Buttons? Why that name?"

"I...well, I like your buttons, Mylène."

"O-Oh...alright. Take off one of my buttons and put it on them."

 _Location: Front of Collège Françoise Dupont  
_ _Activity: Talking  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: Forty five minutes_

* * *

Unlike all the other pairs who were able to at least emotionally prepare for the assignment, Alix was quite literally shoved out of the class by Kim who had their sack in his hoodie and ran into her purposefully.

"You ready to bond with Xander?"

"Kim, we're not naming him that. He's not some kinda video game character."

"What?" He questioned, puppy dog eyes visible as they walked to a park near the school, "Why can't he be! My kid can be anything he wants to be! Don't be a strict mother, Pinky!"

"I-I'm not strict! You know what? Fine, his name is Xander…on one condition."

Laughing, he stopped walking and turned to her, "Oh, really? And that would be?"

"I get to choose how they look."

"How about we race and whoever wins gets to choose."

"Even though you know I'm gonna beat you? Okay, you're on...when we get to the park and we can set Xander down."

 _Location: Park  
_ _Activity: (Racing) Being responsible  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: One hour and fifteen minutes_

* * *

"Sabrina? Hello? Are you in h-Oh, there you."

Max hadn't expected the redhead to be so determined when working on a project. Then again, no one ever sees her work. The only thing that most the school knows is that she gets the assignment, goes home, comes to school the next day, and gets amazing grades.

Before he left class, he found a very neatly written note telling him to meet her at the school library on his books and she stayed true to her word. Sitting at a table in the middle of the room, Sabrina was texting on her phone.

"Ah, Sabrina? Hello?"

"Oh! Hey, Max! I have a whole schedule for this! I always wanted someone to work with me on a project! Alright, so names! Any ideas?"

"Well, how ab-"

"Hmm...Maybe I should ask Chloé first."

"But isn't this o-"

 _RING RING_

He couldn't do anything to stop her from calling her so-called best friend, so Max proceeded to sit next to her silently until they were finished. The nerd, however, ended up referring to it as Maxine.

 _Location: Library  
_ _Activity: Phone calls and scheduling  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: One hour_

* * *

"come to my hotel after school. you know where it is."  
sent at 5:30PM / seen

He didn't know how, but Chloé managed to get his phone number and texted him right after class. So now, Nathanaël found himself standing in front of Le Grand Paris and talking to the chosen 'mother' of his 'child'.

"I guess you should choose the name, Chloé," The boy decided, taking the sack out of his bag and holding it in front of her like a trophy.

"Isn't it obvious? It's going to be named Chloé, like me!"

"But it's a boy..."

Thinking on the spot, she furrowed her brows, "A-Alright, then his name is...eh...C-Chlorine!"

"...That's the chemical they put in pools."

"He's very sanitary, loser!"

 _This was going to be a long project..._ He thought, deciding to put 'Chlorine' back in his backpack.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"Duh, my room. I have to take care of this, remember? I don't think you want to."

True, treating a sack of grain like it was an actual child was boring and stupid, but something made her want to try.

"Just...Just give me Chlorine and follow me!"

"What?" Nathanaël asked, shocked as he handed it to her, "Where are we going?"

"To my room. No...child of mine is going to be dressed in something so unstylish!"

 _Location: Chloé's room  
_ _Activity: Wardrobe  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: Four hours_

* * *

"Rose! Where is my little baby girl?"

"Oh, uh, you mean the project? I'm holding her right h-"

"Awww, she has your eyes, Rose!" Juleka cooed, imagining it was real.

"It's...It's a sack of flour."

Even though she found her friend's odd maternal instinct over their assigned child weird, she couldn't help but feel something warm in her heart at the sight.

"Don't worry about your maman, Jade. She'll come around eventually. Come on, let's put some makeup on you!"

"Jade?"

"Isn't it a nice name? Let's go sit by the Pont des Arts and do their face up!"

 _Location: Pont des Arts  
_ _Activity: Makeup  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: Two hours_

* * *

Both Marinette and Adrien decided, in their minds, to discuss the project with their partner right after class. What they didn't think of, however, was what the other was planning and ended up saying it at the same time while they were still in their seats.

"S-So-"

"I...I, uh…"

A moment of silence passed them before they, once again, spoke in unison.

"What do you want to name them?"

 _Oh, God. Should I answer him?_ She asked herself, looking away shyly.

"You can name her if you'd like to, Marinette. The mother should choose after all, right?"

"Alright...How about, uh, Emma? Is that a good name?"

"Emma...Hmm...Emma Dupain-Cheng or Emma Agreste. Ah, either way, I think it sounds cute." The model answered, gathering his things and helping her pick up her bag, "We could try to find something for them to wear. I don't think Emma would want to be caught in rags tomorrow."

 _Is he just_ ** _trying_** _to kill me heart!?_

"Marinette?"

"O-Oh, clothes! Well, I could probably sew something quickly at home. You could come by my house right now; I don't think my parents would mind."

"My father is probably okay with it because it's for school and I don't have anything scheduled now. Lead the way, mother of my child."

 _I'm pretty sure my heart is dead and flying on wings of sunshine in heaven._

 _Location: Marinette's room  
_ _Activity: Sewing  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: Three hours_


	3. Names - Nina

_I hope he was kidding when he said the adopted thing…_

"So...I guess I should head back home. My mom is going to wonder where I am and why my siblings are probably ruining the furniture."

"Ruin the furniture?" He asked, pulling Nina over onto his lap, "How old even are you siblings?"

Alya sighed and reached in her bag for the time fill-in sheet, "Olivia is seven and Ivanna's third birthday is next week. Olivia can be responsible….when she wants to be."

"Sounds like a... _handful._ Get it? Because I got Nina in my lap? Handful?"

With a completely deadpan expression, the girl pulled his red cap over his eyes and started writing something on her paper. Because of his temporary blindness, he could only ask what she was doing.

"I didn't know you did hand written posts for your Ladyblog," Nino commented, taking the hat away from his eyes and putting it over the top of the sack, "Nice penmanship."

"You have glasses; look at this again and tell me if it's for the Ladyblog."

"Hmm...Alright."

 _Location: Bench near Seine_  
 _Activity:_  
 _Caretaker:  
Time period:_

The only spaces left blank were the ones for their activity, time, and who watched over Nina. It made him wonder: what were they doing? He had to ask her before she left.

"Wanna...listen to some music?"

"But I have to go h-"

"Just one song, Alya. C'mon, please? If you stay, I'll make a Ladybug mix for your blog."

For a second, he could see a bit of excitement in her eyes, but it died down, "...is it free?"

"For Nina's mom? Definitely! Ever heard of Stromae? Probably not since they're Belg-"

 ** _L'amour est comme l'oiseau de Twitter_**

 ** _On est bleu de lui, seulement pour 48 heures_**

Out of nowhere, Alya started to acapella sing carmen, a song by Stromae that was written over a song by Bizet. The only thing he could think to do was to hit his fingers against his palms in rhythm, imitating the sound of castanets while singing along with her.

 ** _D'abord on s'affilie, ensuite on se follow_**

 ** _On en devient fêlé, et on finit solo_**

 _Now that I think about it, Alya has a really nice voice..._ Nino realized, _Didn't we sing next to each other to help Mylène? She looks kinda happy when she sings._

"-ino…? Nino? Hello? You suddenly checked or something and stopped singing."

Coming out of his thoughts, he looked at her, a confused expression on the bloggers face. For some reason, she was sitting a bit closer to him than before.

"H-Huh? Wha-Oh, sorry about that. Got kinda sidetracked, I guess."

"Sidetracked? By what? You're the one who started playing music."

"Nothing at all, just your ey-...I mean, uh, I have to go home now! Yeah! Uh, here's Nina," He nervously rushed, placing the sack on her lap, grabbing his bag, and heading towards the staircase, "You can take her home today. See ya, Alya!"

"Wait, you forgot your…!"

Before she could finish, he was already gone.

"You forgot your stupid hat…Whatever, it looks good on me. Right, Nina?"

 _Why am I asking a sack for its opinion?_ She thought, taking out the assignment sheet that she had set aside. In the end, she decided on writing in that both of them were there for a full hour.

 _Location: Bench near Seine_  
 _Activity: Listening to music_  
 _Caretaker: Both parents  
Time period: One hour_


	4. Names - Xander

"Alright, Alix. You set the kid and your bag down. Are you ready to race yet?" Kim asked, eagerly getting into running position next to the bench they sat Xander.

"Ready?" She retorted, overly confident as ever as she strapped on her rollerblades, "The only ready from me that you'll need is your own ready for defeat."

"Wait, my own what? Hold on, Alix, that doesn't make an-"

"Ready, set, go!"

Not even waiting for him to hear her signal, the girl sped off with a look of pure joy on her face, pink hair zooming in the wind. As much as he hated being behind her, he had to admit that it was a pretty good view.

"Hey! That's cheating, Pinky! You aren't playing a fair game!"

"You never said I had to play fair!" She giggled, skillfully skating backwards so she could see him try to catch up.

Surely enough, the Korean boy started to bound towards her, "I'm gonna have to punish you if you break the rules, Kubdel!"

"Break the rules? Please! By the time you get to the finish line, I'll have already won!"

"No way you're gonna be-"

Right as he was going to retort, Alix dashed past the finish point, roaring in pride.

"Wooo! Guess I get to change how they l-"

 _HUFF….PUFF_

"B-Best….B-Best two out of...t-three…?"

"Kim, are you okay?" She asked worriedly, kneeling down next to him, "You usually aren't so tired...at least I don't think you are."

"C-Carried...Xander here. Heavy…five pounds."

"I could have held it half way here, idiot. Jeez, you're making me feel bad for not helping."

"That's crazy! I can't make a girl carry something for m-Hey, wait!"

Yanking him up off of the ground, the skater let go of his hand, dusted the dirt off of herself, and went over to see the sack, leaving him blushing and mouth slightly ajar.

"A girl can do anything a guy can. I can even lift up Xand-What the hell did they put in this sack? Weights!? Okay, I guess it's kinda heavy. Still, you should be able to lift it up."

"Why lift it up though? I mean, aren't kids supposed to be in strollers and carriers or something? 'Seems kinda pointless to just carry a baby around the whole time."

"I thought that you were strong, Kim. Guess I was wrong!" She sassed, taking off her helmet and attempting to strap it on Xander.

"Me? Not strong? Ha, nice joke, Kubdel. I'm so strong, I can lift you up!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, definitely!"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Biting his bottom lip, he awkwardly made a beeline for the short girl and quickly tried to think of the best way to pick her up.

 _Please don't hit me if I touch you in the wrong place, Alix!_

"T-This isn't that hard, just watch!"

The whole action of picking someone up, strangely enough, was new to him. His only reference was what Chat Noir or Ladybug would probably do.

Slowly bending down to his knees, Kim scooped her into a princess hold against his chest. He could feel her pink locks rub against his chin.

"Okay...I guess you can do it."

 _She's so light...how is she this light? She weighs as much as a five year old._

"Kim, are you gonna let me down now so I can fill out the sheet?"

"W-What? Oh, uh, yeah. Sure."

 _Location: Park_  
 _Activity: (Racing) Being responsible_  
 _Caretaker: Both parents_  
 _Time period: One hour and fifteen minutes_


	5. Names - Buttons

It wasn't a surprise to her that he decided to take off the button he gave her a while back when she was the Horrificator to put on the sack. In fact, it made his heart race just doing that.

"So, Ivan...Do you want to help me with my literature assignment? You're a very good poet."

"Poet? But that was a song; I don't write poetry."

Scooting next to him timidly, Mylène reached for his bookbag, "Your words are so good. You're a poet."

"Poet? But I don't write poems, Mylène."

Then he remembered the song he wrote for her. It was the first time he composed anything, and since then he began to write more...not that he would tell anyone that.

"Then what are these?" She asked, holding the black leather notebook containing his lyrics between her small fingers.

"W-Wait! Mylène, those are just…"

Ivan would've given an explanation, probably a very bad one, but wasn't able to before hearing her recite one of the entries.

 _Cheveux comme bobines_ _  
_ _Couleur corail sont vos lèvres_ _  
_ _Yeux si brun  
_ _Sombre comme la lune_

Mylène eyebrows rose in surprise as she read the words. Each line was about her. The small girl hadn't felt that happy since he wrote her that song before.

When she turned to face him, Ivan had the sack in his lap, trying to cover his face enough so she wouldn't see him blushing. Laughing, she put her hand on top of his.

"Sorry if it was sappy."

"Ivan, I loved it! You don't have to feel ashamed of your writing!"

"I...Mylène, I know you like it, but other people? People like Kim? He'd laugh at me…"

"Don't worry about him. As long as you love what your write, then why should anyone judge you? Besides," She started quietly, then lightly pecked him on the cheek, "I think your poems are amazing."

 _He looks so cute when he blushes!_

"I'll take Buttons home tonight, okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess that's okay. You can, uh, call me if there's any trouble."

"I don't have your number," Mylène reminded him, taking her phone out of her bag, "Here, put it in. I'll put my name in yours."

Heart on fire, Ivan pulled out his phone and handed it to her, "I-I'll fill out the sheet."

 _Location: Front of Collège Françoise Dupont_

 _Activity: Talking  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: Forty five minutes_


	6. Names - Maxine

"Hey, Chloé! Sorry to call you; I know you're busy with your partn-...Wait, what? He's in your room with you right now? Nathanaël is in your room!? No way!" Sabrina chattered into her light blue phone, emoting with her hand as if she were actually talking face to face with the blonde.

Meanwhile, Max decided that waiting for her a girl to end a call would take as long as it would for hell to freeze over, so he ended up playing a rhythm game on his phone. He was about half way through a song before she snuck up behind him, but he couldn't hear her.

"What's that?"

"Ah! Wha-? Oh, no! My combo! Ahh!"

"Sorry, Max! I didn't mean to startle you. I'll just...uh...I can wait until the song is over?" She apologized nervously, sitting back in her chair across from him."

"It's...It's fine. At this point, I already lost. So...what did she say?"

"Well, she didn't really help me with a name. For some reason, they named their Chlorine."

"Chlorine? As in Cl, atomic number seventeen?"

"Also relative atomic mass of 35.5 and part of the halogens. She wanted to name it after herself, but she was assigned a male sack."

To say he was impressed at her response was an understatement. The fact that she was able to respond to him in confidence about the element, alone, was enough to tell him that she was more than just some small redhead with glasses who followed Chloé Bourgeois around all the time.

"You wanted to schedule, right? I tried to draw out a time char-"

"We can do that later. I'm kinda interested in what game you were just playing."

"This? You mean the one on my phone?" He asked, her unexpected curiosity catching him off guard, "It's a game called Cytus. It's really popular in most countries in Asia. I don't really play rhythm games often, but the way the taps correlate to the music is fascinating to me."

Pushing out her chair, Sabrina sat besides him to his right, "Can I try? I don't think I'll be that good, but I have good reflexes."

"Oh, sure. No one's ever really shown any interest, but here. Try Ververg."

"Alright. So I just tap the circles, drag the dotted lines, and hold the long ones? It sounds pretty easy."

Moving to the level seven song, Max set up the tap sounds then slid it over to her. As soon as the 'Start' screen faded, the song started. Her small fingers tapped on the incoming notes perfectly ones each time. To Sabrina, it sounded somewhat like a music box.

As she played, be reached over and brought the sack into his lap, letting out a sigh as he felt the weight of it on his legs.

"Max! Something's happening!"

"The song ended. Let's see what score yo-Oh my God! You got a million!? How did yo-"

"Well, I mean, it wasn't _that_ hard to do. It's not as hard as it is to get Chloé to pay attention to me."

"Why are you friends with her?" The teen asked, sliding the time sheet to him, "Oh, and I named her Maxine. Sorry if it sounds like I'm naming it after myself. It's the only thing I could think of by myself."

"That's alright, I like it! I don't think Chloé will mind if Maxine wears the brooch she gave me."

"If you're okay with it, then I am as well."

 _Location: Library  
_ _Activity: Phone calls and scheduling  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: One hour_


	7. Names - Emma

_It always smells so nice in here! Maybe Marinette's parents stuff some croissants inside of the walls…_

"A-Adrien? Are you okay? You're staring into space."

"Huh? Oh, sorry Marinette. I guess I got distracted by the smell of your home."

"You don't...uh, have to apologize," She told him, showing him the way to her room in the attic. They were about halfway up the steps before the girl abruptly paused, "Haha, I uh, I forgot about a...a-a thing! Yeah! A thing! Just...Just stay here and wait on the stroa-I mean s-stairs!"

"Do you need any hel-"

"No!"

For the next five minutes, the baker's daughter scrambled around her room, delicately grabbing every picture of Adrien Agreste she had lovingly pinned, taped, or stapled onto her walls. By the time most of them were pulled down, a large heap sat in the center of the floor which she swept under he bed.

Letting out an intake of breath and wiping off a drop of sweat from her forehead, Marinette was about to head back downstairs to bring him up, but stopped and laid on top of the door that separated her room from downstairs and listened in on the muffled voices.

"How long have you known Marinette for, Adrien?"

"Oh, I'd say for half the school year now probably."

 _Oh no. Oh no no no no no! Mom, stop talking to him! Ple-"_ Ahh!"

Sooner than she had hoped, Marinette came down the stairs. How she descended, however, was a little different than what she planned. The next thing she knew, she was lying on her back on the floor, stars in her eyes.

"Marinette? Marinette, are you okay!? Uh, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng? I think she fell down the stairs!"

"Again? Ah, Mari, this hasn't happened for a while now. Were you listening in again?" Her mother asked, wetting a towel under the faucet in the kitchen before bringing it to her forehead.

Adrien wrapped an arm around her back and propped her up against him, "You really are clumsy, aren't you? Heh, it's kinda cute, Marinette."

"C-CUTE!? I-I, YOU, HAH, I-"

"What she means to say is thank you," The older woman suggested, putting the rag in his hands and clasping his fingers over it, "Why don't you bring her upstairs and we'll bring up some madeleines for you both to snack on in a bit?"

"That sounds delici-I mean, that sounds great," He corrected himself, trying to conceal his sweet tooth as he held her up and began going back up with the frail girl, "Thank you for the hospitality, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng."

"No problem at all, Adrien. Be careful when you get near the top! The ceiling gets a bit lower."

After making it to her room, the blond set her down gently on her bed against the wall next to Emma.

 _I need to find something that will snap her out of her confused state_ , He told himself as he rifled through some boxes in her room with care, _How about these dolls-...I've seen these before…This'll be easy._

Before Marinette could even fully stand up again, Adrien was sitting in a criss-cross position at the foot of the bed, holding the dolls that were all too familiar to her.

 _Of course, he just_ ** _had_** _to choose the Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls._

"Bien joué!" He cheered, making the dolls fist pumped with their little hands before putting all his attention into his Chat _impression_ , "My Lady, why don't you tell me who you are?"

 _Because I can't tell you just yet. Ki-_

"Because I love you too much, my little chaton! I can't lie to you about my feelings anymo-"

"Hold it! You don't...You don't really think that Ladybug would say that, do you?" She interrupted, reaching to take the doll of herself, Ladybug, out of his grasp.

He chuckled a bit and replied in a sly voice as he positioned Chat in a feline-esque pose, "Do you not feel this strong emotion in your chest, Bugaboo?"

 _How does he know that Chat calls me that? He's never called me that in public before...I don't think._

"No one can know who we are, Chat. Not even the two of us," Marinette emoted through Ladybug, "Maybe one day…"

She couldn't tell why, but he looked very sullen for a second before standing and helping her up. Was it something she said?

"So do you have any ideas, Miss Designer?"

"I-Ideas? W-Wha-?" The girl full-on panicked, thinking of something more indecent than she should be.

"About Emma? I don't know where you usually work on your designs in your room."

Picking up the sack from the bed, he held it under his arm and looked around. In his mind, he hoped that she wouldn't suggest something with feathers.

"Sorry! I kinda, uh, spaced out. I could try knitting a scarf that looks like yours."

"I don't wear it very often, Marinette. You have an amazing memory!"

"Do I?" She chuckled awkwardly, opening a bin of yarn to find one that matches his, "Well, anyways. Do you know how to knit?"

"No, but I'd like to learn if you'd be willing to teach me."

 _He wants me to teach him to knit!?_

"Oh, y-yeah, uh, sure! Just let me get some, um, nitting keed-I mean, knitting needles!"

Rushing down the stairs like a bolt of lightning, Marinette eagerly rifled through every drawer in search of needles to use, hands shaking with glee. All the while, Adrien could only sit upstairs and wait for her as he looked around her room and held their assigned "sack baby".

"Don't worry, Emma. Marinette isn't going to stab you with a needle by accident...at least, I hope she doesn't."

 _Location: Marinette's room  
_ _Activity: Sewing Knitting  
_ _Caretaker: Both parents  
_ _Time period: Three hours_


	8. Names - Chlorine

"Maybe we can cut some of your old clothes u-"

"What do you mean old clothes ? What, you think I keep those things that don't fit me? That'd be so tacky!"

Once again, I asked the universe why I had to be her partner.

"Look, I'm sure you have some baby clothes stacked under the very polished floorboards you have here."

Sighing, Chloé went over to her bedside, opened up a drawer on her nightstand, and pulled out a small catalogue.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"Duh, baby clothes."

"And where are they? All I see is pictures of some cranky baby in some nappies. They have a pretty asymmetrical face..."

He didn't realize the mistake he made until she whacked him upside the head. Nathanaël had to try and rectify his blunder.

"Maybe we can...I don't know, go to a thrift store?"

"A...A what?"

"A thrift store. You know, you donate clothes and buy them there for low prices."

"Ew, like some filthy commoners?"

"I was thinking along the lines of 'affordable', but whatever you say," He sighed, then went to pick up his bag, "Coming?"

With a huff of agreement and a roll of her blue eyes, Chloé pushed past him, signaling him to follow by her swaying hips.

* * *

"What do you mean 'you lost it'!? How can you just lose a sack!? It's literally the size of your torso!"

"It's not my fault that it was heavy and you didn't want to be a gentleman and hold it for me!"

"I asked if you wanted me to, you said no, and went to go look at clothes! What was I supposed to do? Pull you back to me by the arm like a child? Put you on a leash!?"

"I AM NOT A DOG, YOU PEASANT!" She yelled, words echoing through the store they stood in the center of.

Instead of responding with anger, the artist forcefully rummaged around his bag for their assignment sheet, set it down on a counter, and crossed out her name.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"D-Divorcing you…!O-Or something like that! I'll find it myself!"

"Not if I find it fi-"

"Excuse me, Miss," A random shopper intercepted, "Were you, perhaps, looking for a sack of flour? It's at the register."

Both Chloé and Nathanaël felt their jaws drop slightly and their eyes twitch. Soon after, both expressed a look of disappointment and loathing.

"Sorry to bother you both. I hope you both resolve your relationship issues; you look like a cute couple."

"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" They both said in unison, leading them to silence.


End file.
